https://redlib.catsarch.com/r/stupidpol/comments/1qxpqwh/mamdani_caps_one_month_of_betrayal_with/

It has been barely a month since Mamdani assumed office as mayor of New York City. But in that short time, he has already accomplished a great deal—in comprehensively betraying and repudiating the oppositional sentiment that propelled him into office. Caesar, in Gaul, “came, saw and conquered.” Mamdani, in New York’s Gracie Mansion, has compromised, colluded and capitulated.

The latest in an endless train of disorderly retreats came on Thursday, with Mamdani’s endorsement of right-wing Democrat and New York Governor Kathy Hochul in the upcoming gubernatorial primaries. While still a lowly assemblyman, Mamdani described Hochul’s support for the genocide in Gaza as “disgusting” and denounced her political agenda as “Republican-lite.” That was just two years ago.

But in a statement published in The Nation, Mamdani, his disgust turned to admiration, justified his endorsement of Hochul by praising their “shared commitment to government that is equal parts competent and trustworthy.” Hochul, he wrote, “has chosen to govern” in the spirit of “transformation,” and he held up their collaboration as a model of effective government.

Amidst all the political pablum, Mamdani didn’t mention that more than 15,000 nurses have been on strike in New York City for nearly four weeks, demanding safe staffing, livable wages and basic workplace protections.

Hochul, a millionaire stalwart of the Democratic Party establishment, “has chosen to govern” by playing a central role in efforts to break the strike. Even before the walkout began, she issued an executive order declaring a “state of emergency” to allow hospitals to import out-of-state nurses without New York licenses. Since then, hospitals have spent more than $100 million on scab labor, while striking nurses have gone without health insurance or strike pay.